Chapter Ninety-six
Eclipse; Outer City
Twilight
The Stalfos surged ahead of the human troops, along with Fenrir and Fafnir. The two dragons quickly form-shifted, and threw their entire weight against the walls before them. Twilight could hear the distant sounds of struggle from elsewhere in the city, and knew that the other dragons from the other armies were doing the same. An alarm went up inside the city walls, and the tiny forms of enemy soldiers began rushing about to defend themselves from four different attacks.
The enemy soldiers began to fight back, arrows and magic launching fourth from the rooftops within. The stone walls began to give, but provided cover for the dragons breaking them down. Stones began to fall from the top of the wall, and another flutter passed through Twilight’s chest. Only a few more seconds. With one final tackle, Fenrir and Fafnir blasted through to the other side, and into the city.
“Move, move!” Twilight yelled, signaling the troops to advance. The Stalfos knights were the first to cross the new threshold- after the dragons- and the skeletal soldiers flooded into the streets. Oddly, Twilight heard no screams from the city, no panic-stricken residents of the city, only the sounds of combat.
“I can only assume that there isn’t anyone left to flee from them.” Octavia said grimly. “It was plain to see from minute one that the fight would one day reach these streets. Everyone who was smart must have fled the city as soon as able, and the unlucky ones... We are most likely fighting against the poor lost souls now, as a result of Celestia’s feral drug.”
Twilight swallowed, but this only served to fuel her determination. She did not know if there was any way to save those who had had their minds turned by this drug, so the soldiers Celestia was throwing at them were likely a lost cause. At the very least, she would try to make their ends swift. She tightened her glove and stepped forward. “Enough waiting. Bring everyone in behind the Stalfos, and let them take the brunt of the damage. All snipers and mages should provide cover fire as we rout the streets, then form up at the gates to the castle.”
Octavia nodded and hefted her own bow to bear. The other Elements of Harmony all shared a determined nod, and moved forward as one, the rest of the army around and behind them. They leapt over the broken mortar of the outer walls, then rushed to catch up to the widening line of Stalfos.
The resistance from the royal soldiers was not as strong as Twilight had imagined. They're spread too thin from defending four different fronts. We won't encounter any truly organized and effective resistance until we round them up to the castle. With this in mind, Twilight ran directly behind the Stalfos and began throwing volleys of magic over. In the distance behind her, she could see the ranger Tug scramble up the side of a short building, then unclip his bow and begin firing at the enemy.
The battle seemed to shift slightly. More Stalfos were falling before the defending Eclipse knights, and the mages and archers had to work harder and harder to keep them at bay. They must have figured out that the Elements are all with this group. Twilight inferred. If they kill us, there's nothing left that can stop the queen, and the whole army is doomed. The wall of Stalfos began to thin as it advanced, weakened by constant enemy attack. Some enemies began to slip though, but were swiftly put down by the Silver Arrows.
Soon, however, the human soldiers were forced to engage the enraged knights, as the Stalfos line had become too weak to hold them off. Twilight deftly blocked a sword strike with a palm full of magenta energy, then threw her other palm into the attacker's chest. Another lanced at her from the side, and she rolled under the strike and kicked the legs out from under her assailant. Twilight never would have thought she'd be using her training against the army that had taught her, but they had little defense against the warrior they had created. She threw magic like javelin's, striking down several soldiers before they even had a chance to reach her.
She was spun around when an axe strike from behind only narrowly missed her. A large group of soldiers had snuck behind her, and she barely had enough time to dodge away from the following attacks. She could sense that more were creeping up behind her, but couldn't turn her back on these ones. Her allies were all struggling against them, and while a few attempted to work away at the soldiers surrounding Twilight, they were almost totally ineffectual.
She dodged around their attacks and fought back as best she could, but she seemed to be stuck in a stalemate with these soldiers. She had to continuously block from one side or another, and did not have enough time or space to counterattack. The constant dodging and blocking was beginning to wear on her, and more than once she only escaped being impaled with an inch to spare. Still she danced around the enemy fighters, keeping every bit of space she had left to fight.
A familiar noise echoed from some distance away, and a few seconds later a mass of fire cut right through the knights before Twilight. It brought itself to a halt with great fiery wings, and the image of a mighty flaming bird was left in the minds of the soldiers who were about to meet their doom. Twilight smiled wide, and lit a fire spell in her hands. Phil's here! They're screwed now!
Together, the two former apprentices set ablaze the attacking troops, driving the fight back to a line and causing the remains of the assailants to retreat and regroup. Twilight turned to the phoenix, who promptly form-shifted back into the boy she had known and loved her whole life. Phil smiled, and the two moved forward and shared a brief but passionate kiss. Afterwards, in the momentary safety afforded them by the others holding the line, Twilight rested her head beside his.
"Phil, I... I'm so glad you're okay."
"Of course I'm okay." Phil assured her. "Had to stay alive to see you again, right? Trixie's just fine, too."
She nodded, a few tears in her eyes. "Thank you... You two are the only family I have left, after Spike..."
She trailed off, and Phil gave her a pat on the back. "Hey... I'll let you in on a little secret, if you promise not to tell Fluttershy." Twilight looked Phil in the eye, and he whispered in her ear: "Spike's alive."
Twilight's eyes shot open, and she stared at Phil in amazement. Phil nodded happily. "When he wrote that letter to you, he was sure he wasn't going to make it. He hadn't counted on us saving him. His life might still be shorter than it used to be, but he's as alive as ever."
Twilight practically squeaked in pleasure. "Phil, that's amazing! Oh, thank you so much..."
He gave her another pat on the back. "Like I said, don't tell Fluttershy yet. Spike wants to surprise her. Now c'mon, Twi, let's go finish this. Trixie's bringing the rest of our army around to meet up with this one, so let's make sure we get our fill first!"
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Rainbow Dash
I brought both swords down upon another soldier, and kicked his body aside to make room for the next one. These guys were proving easy to kill, but endless in numbers. Unless I wanted to be there all day, I would need a way to get through them quicker. The answer was as obvious as it was awesome.
I began spinning one sword over my head rapidly, while defending with the other. With my wind magic in effect, the first sword was rotating far faster than what should have been possible. I adopted a devilish grin, and thrust the sword forward, and I could feel the sound barrier shatter before my might. The familiar rainbow shockwave exploded from the space before me, and I rushed forward faster than anyone could follow. I slapped aside weapons and cut through armor so fast, my enemies couldn't even see what was happening before they were on the ground.
As I was fighting, I became aware of another noise, distorted by my speed, but I was fairly sure it was music. Another form dropped in from above, moving almost as fast as I was, ripping through the soldiers with her flaming battle-axe. Spitfire and I nodded to each other, and fell into step back-to-back. Still the strange music continued, until several more figures dropped from the sky to join us. I recognized each one almost immediately: Soren, Misty, and all the other Wonderbolts. The team bard had equipped a new guitar, and was being covered by the others, still playing his music and keeping spirits high.
Our group now numbered seven, and the crowd of enemies could sense that they were in trouble. Some even began to flee, still able to obey their most base instincts of survival. Most, however, continued to throw themselves at us without mercy. We all rose into the air, swatting aside the enemies' weapons like insects, and began dive-bombing the crowd beneath us.
It took me a minute to realize what was actually happening, and it was difficult to keep up my momentum once I did. I was flying with the Wonderbolts. My oldest and most dear childhood dream had just been realized. I let out an overjoyed, almost insane laugh, and began fighting even harder. Those soldiers that hadn't yet died realized that they should seek better cover, and all began fleeing to the castle. We weren't prepared to let them go without a fight, though.
Spitfire backed up slightly, and gave a tiny nod to Soren. My heart fluttered, as I knew exactly what was going to happen next. Spitfire held up he axe, and Soren aligned his lance from behind. A giant core of fire and wind began to form just above the two. The two gritted their teeth, and in unison shouted "Burning Scar!" The missile shot forward, and exploded in the center of the fleeing mob. More than half of them were annihilated, flopping like rag dolls in every direction. The remaining troops managed to escape to temporary safety and headed for Eclipse Castle.
Both supersonic techniques worn off, Spitfire and I floated to the ground. "Not bad, kid." she complimented me. "You fought like one of us."
"I learned almost everything about combat from you." I told her. "Some was from my brother, but he learned most of his stuff from you, too. It's an incredible honor to be able to fly with the whole team."
"Hm..." she mumbled thoughtfully. "Well, anyway, let's rendezvous with the others. We need to get ready to crack through to the castle. Then the queen will be all yours."
We moved back through the streets, empty save for the various ally soldiers walking with us, or nursing their wounds. The Wonderbolts and I moved swiftly back to the others of my army. The first phase of the battle was over; every last soldier of Eclipse left in the country was waiting for us in the castle. When the medics had tended to every wound they could, the army began to move forward to the massive iron gates blocking the city from the castle. It would take more than our dragons to break these down.
"Give me a status report." I asked Lyra and Twilight. "How many do we have left on either side?"
"All four armies are going to rendezvous here, and their leaders have already given me an update." Lyra explained. "Total, we seem to have just under two thousand human troops, as well as a hundred or so Stalfos knights still hanging around. Due to the anatomy of the castle- the fact that it's built into and around a mountain- a multi-pronged attack is basically impossible. But the other armies are wheeling their war machines over to this end, so we’ll at least be able to blast away their existing defenses before making our move.”
“I see.” I said, rubbing my chin. “Once we get in, we’ll have to fight hall-to-hall. I would imagine Celestia would be holed up in her throne room, calling all the shots. It’s also a possibility that she’s got a bunch of light beasts guarding her all the way from the front hall to where she waits."
"It's a good thing you've got me, then." Twilight told us. "I know the castle like the back of my hand. The corridors are made to confuse, but I know exactly where we need to go, and I'll lead us there. Now... Just how are we going to break down those gates?"
"Allow me, mates." Xekora offered, appearing behind us seemingly out of nowhere. " 'S the least I can do. Now stand aside, this shouldn't take long..." He rolled back his sleeves, rubbed his arms together, and began casting what looked like a powerful dark spell. A shadowy radiance began emanating from the base of the gates, all the way around, and Xekora's arms began to shiver. With an audible grunt, he lifted his hands into the air, and the entire fence wall was uprooted out of the ground. He flung his arms to the side, and the fence was sent flying over the walls of the city. "Someone's going to want to clean that up when this is all over." he said cheerily. "Or not, perhaps it'd make a nice tourist attraction a hundred years from now."
The mass of gathered soldiers mumbled excitedly. I turned to Xekora with an eyebrow raised. "Neutral, huh? You absolutely sure about that?"
He gave me a knowing look, and I thought I detected a 'wait and see' element in his eyes for a split second. "Go." he told me. "Find the queen. Give her a sound drubbing. And make sure to keep young Luna safe! Do not let Celestia have the satisfaction of bringing her younger sister down with her!"
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Phil
Soon after the massive iron fence had been tossed aside, the remaining armies from elsewhere in the city arrived, and the various war machines were set into place. In total, Phil counted ten catapults, five ballistas, and three cannons. The weapons were promptly loaded, and awaited the order to fire. Commander Octavia held up her hand, waiting to see if any soldiers from within would risk coming outside. When none did, she dropped her arm, and the war machines all loosed their first volley.
The missiles all collided with the front of the castle, a few tearing through, and most at least knocking something loose. Phil detected sounds of commotion within the castle, and knew that the soldiers were mobilizing again. Perhaps they hadn't expected the resistance to have heavy weaponry, and thought to ambush them on the way in. But now they knew that the fight had been brought to them, and they wouldn't go down without a mighty struggle.
"You ready to go, Phil?" Trixie asked, appearing by his side. "The Elements have their own job to do, and with Spike avoiding his girlfriend for theatrics’ sake- a desire I completely understand- it's just going to be you and me for a while longer."
"You make a pretty good partner, anyway." Phil told her. "One last battle by your side won't kill me, I hope. Anyway, just stick with me, and bring some others with us. I know all the little nooks and crannies of this castle, and we'll flush out any stragglers or ambushers before they get us."
She nodded in confirmation, and the two watched as the next volley of shot floated through the sky and slammed into the castle. Several chunks of mortar fell to the ground or began to crack.
"Now! Move!" Colonel Lyra shouted, and the soldiers rushed forward, with Phil and Trixie near the front. The remaining skeletal soldiers headed up the pack, crashing into the defenders with whirling scimitars. With the first defensive line softened, it was a simple matter for the strong fighters and potent mages to sweep them aside and breach the castle. Even so, Phil knew that unless the Elements met success, their victory against these soldiers would be meaningless.
Phil quickly swung around a corner when they entered the grand hall, and several soldiers followed him. Trixie's broomstick staff was held before her like a spear, the tip alight. Phil led the group around the great staircase, into a corridor that led underneath to other chambers. "The armory is at the end of this hall." Phil explained. "I don't know what will be left now, but we should take a look, take what we want and destroy the rest."
"As well as kill those guys before they kill us." Trixie pointed out, as several knights jumped from their cover and rushed at the group. Phil and Trixie both threw a fire spell into their midst, then readied themselves for close combat. Phil grabbed a clumsy spear thrust and tugged the owner to the side, and he hit the wall. Trixie smacked one upside the head, then brought her flaming staff around to hit another in the side. Phil ducked under a sword strike and punched it's owner in the stomach, sending him gasping for breath.
The enemy was getting taken apart, but they were not willing- or capable- to give up. One swung wide with his axe, and Trixie could only stumble backward to dodge. Phil dispatched him with a punch to the head, and he moved to help Trixie to her feet while the resistance soldiers behind them rushed ahead to finish off the remaining Eclipse knights.
"Thanks." she said, rising to her feet. "Fighting in such tight quarters gets hectic, doesn't it?"
"Yeah... Hey, Trixie, what's this?" He picked up a rolled piece of paper from the ground where she had fallen, and he quickly scanned over it's contents. A look of confusion and fear overtook his face. "Trixie... You weren't planning on using this, were you?!"
"It's that skill I told you about, the one from Ivoire. And if the opportunity presents itself, yeah I'm going to use it."
"Trixie, have you even seen this thing?! It could kill you!"
"Phil, you should know me by now." Trixie countered, moving over and grabbing the scroll. "I think I can handle it."
"Give me the scroll." Phil demanded, grabbing her shoulder. "I'm not going to let you almost kill yourself again. I stopped you once, back at the Quest Bed, and I'll stop you here, too."
"Taking the scroll isn't going to do much. I've already memorized how the skill works, so you may as well take it. But if the situation arises that I have to use this technique, you can't stop me."
Phil tightened his gloves threateningly. "I can try."